Talking in the night
by Selenite
Summary: It is night around Dr. Fastolfe's establishment and many of his robots stand patiently in their niches along the wall, waiting idly for the next day. Most of them save their power units or run diagnostics, but there are also some who spend the time thinking, remembering and wondering. Pre-Robots of Dawn. Characters: R. Daneel Olivaw, R. Jander Panell, Han Fastolfe, Gladia Delmarre.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Characters not mine.

* * *

ooOOOoo

The room was silent and dark – dark except for the numerous, tiny spots of light twinkling where the ceiling would have been visible in the daylight. An occasional, lazily drifting cloud partly veiled the pleasant, simulated display of the starry sky.

None of the robots present had said anything for more than three hours now. Clearly, everyone was busy with their own thoughts, or diagnostics, or power saving mode – that depended on the type of the robot. Daneel however, was fully awake, had finished his routine checks long ago and felt no specific need to slip into the robotic slumber. He found it much more useful to look up at the simulated sky and repeat to himself all information he could recall about each star he recognized. (Why else would Dr. Fastolfe leave the simulation running here?)

At first, his thoughts were dashing forward with the speed of the electrical impulses driving them. But then, when he got to a star for a second time, he decided to slow down to a level of human verbal communication. For a microsecond, he considered moving lips to accompany the words forming in his mind, but then decided not to disturb his friends around the room.

_The Sun_… _A star around which the planet Earth revolves. The very home planet of all humanity._ Images of the giant, overcrowded Cities sprang up before Daneel's inner sight. The masses of people streaming under the vast domes of steel, the never ending movement and tumult… the well-remembered apartment of his human partner, Elijah… the two of them meeting on the border between the New York City and the Spacetown; the two of them travelling with the Expressway, getting home and sitting at the table, discussing the details of their first case…

As many times before, Daneel felt surprised at the development. He had started out looking at the night sky simulation, and ended up going through all his memory records of a single, particular human, Elijah Baley. Was it because of the hyperwave drama they had watched that evening? Or can just any thought, through associations, eventually lead to Elijah? Well, with the chain of associations long enough, every thought could lead to any other. But what determines the direction? Is it the personal preference? Could this be true for a mind of a robot?

Perhaps.

A human being would have sighed here, but Daneel had no such need, and so he continued gazing at the stars, checking the information he had about them. But if anyone else could see into Daneel's mind at that moment, they would realize there was another, new layer to it all. The robot was not just repeating the information to himself now. Inside his thoughts, there was Elijah, too, and he was eagerly listening to what Daneel had to say.

And then, suddenly: "Friend Daneel?"

"Friend Jander?"

"May I ask you a question?" The younger robot spoke quietly.

"Of course you may." Daneel turned his head in his friend's direction. "What is it you wish to know?"

"I wish to ask about your human partner, the Earthman Elijah Baley."


	2. Chapter 2

ooOOOoo

"I wish to ask about your human partner, the Earthman Elijah Baley." Jander said calmly, his voice low but distinct, the words unrushed, with a very soft, almost imperceptible touch of curiosity. "Is he truly as friendly with you as the film depicted it?"

Daneel considered the question for a moment. And within that moment, he also realized he felt surprised-both at the human way of communication his robot sibling had chosen for this dialogue, and at the subject of his question. But analyzing this could wait, and perhaps answers to both matters would transpire soon. "In the film, many scenes and dialogues concerning me and Elijah were far from what actually happened." He answered and wished to continue, but the pause he made was long enough for his companion to react.

"But you did not comment on the fact." Jander recalled.

"No, I did not."

"Why? You commented on many other scenes that were, in your view, not accurate."

"True." Daneel admitted thoughtfully. "Now as I think of it, it seems to me that the scenes that included me and Partner Elijah might not have been accurate if we consider the setting and the exact words that were spoken, however, Partner Elijah truly responds to me as he would to a friend. Not only he always treated me like a real human being, but he also displayed emotions towards me the humans usually reserve only for their closest family and friends, despite his natural antipathy for robots that is rooted in his earthly upbringing."

"Perhaps your human look confuses him." The younger robot speculated.

"At first, I thought so too." Daneel explained patiently. "However, Elijah is fully aware of what I am, and as far as I could tell, he reminded himself of that frequently."

"Then from the general perspective, the film was truthful regarding your relationship with Elijah. You are indeed very friendly with each other."

"You are right, friend Jander."

"And on what incentive is your own friendly response based? Do you act on the fact that Elijah treats you as his close friend in the first place?" After a short pause, Jander went on with his examination.

And his elder submitted to it with unwavering calm and forbearance. "What you have just said, friend Jander, is in a perfect agreement with the First Law. However, my specific humaniform programming in combination with the First Law is highly sensitive to Partner Elijah's personality."

"How?" Jander asked, and Daneel couldn't miss a slight movement that accompanied the question. As far as he could tell, this was quite an unusual display of human-like reaction from his younger sibling. Was it driven by the very human way of speaking they chose for this conversation?

"His intelligence and unusual ability to find a right solution to a complex situation," Daneel answered at last, "his exceptional empathy and sense of duty and responsibility, his determination to overcome his own weaknesses and many similar attributes of his proved to be very beneficial to other humans, even to whole societies, as it turns out. If I may apply such a view on a human, to me, Partner Elijah seems to act in accordance with our First Law, but moreover, he is able to find a right way to act where a robot would be hindered by it."

"I think I understand, friend Daneel." Jander admitted after a moment of consideration. "Then this must be the main reason why your response to him is stronger than to any other human."

"Again you are right, friend Jander."

"And what is your own…" the younger one paused here, as if to weigh the proper meaning of the various words he considered using, "…what is your own impression of this strong response you feel, friend Daneel?"

"It is very preferable." Daneel answered without any hesitation. "The differences are slight, but meaningful."

"Could you describe it more closely?"

"Of course, friend Jander." The elder robot replied and a sequence of memories flashed through his mind. "You see, most importantly, the changes in my positronic potentials proceed much more smoothly, which results in higher speed of my thoughts and reactions. My circuits and systems work more efficiently and my mind and body then reach a far better synchronization."

"In that case, it is good you were assigned to work as a partner of Elijah Baley, friend Daneel. Although it is regrettable that he cannot be here with you."

"Or I with him."

"Yes."

A moment of silence followed after that.

"Friend Daneel?"

"Yes, friend Jander?"

"Do you think it possible that I may be assigned as a partner to a human, too?"

Succumbing to a human mode of reaction, Daneel turned to look at his companion before answering. "I think it very likely. I was constructed to study human behavior and society. Your construction is identical to mine, so a very similar task to that I was assigned to may await you soon."

"I see." Jander replied, and returned the look. "Thank you, friend Daneel."

"You are most welcome, friend Jander." Daneel said and returned to his upright position in the niche. And from across the room, he caught a soft red gleam from the eyes of friend Giskard.


End file.
